Cargo-carrier support



. Sept. 22; 1931. c. H. JACOBS ET AL CARGO CARRIER SUPPORT Original Filed Sept. 10 1925 176,4 FOGTEE #426684/8653 Patented Sept. 22, 1931 i oHaRLEs' n unrrne'ronmoonsfor SAN FRANoIsoo, a EARsnBAnGER, or oAxLANnoaLIFonNI outdo-CARRIER SUPPORT- Origin-a1 application filed. s mba 10, 1925, Serial No ."'55,504. Divided and uneappmation filed.

December 26, 1929.

The invention relates'to a support to hold a cargo carrier, adapted to receive mail or the like for transportrbyaircraft,in-position' to be picked-up by the aircraft .while it is in-motion'. i The, objects ofthe invention are to provide a support: which will hold the cargocarrier at a suitable distance above-the ground; which is readily *disengageable from the carrier when. the later is brought under. control of the aircraft; which will yield in any direction to motion imparted to it by engagementof the aircraft there with orwith the carrier, and which will offerno appreciable resistance to "the forward motion of the" aircraft, or rebound against any part ofthe' aircraft after it has been displacedthereby. 1 V

The support is'especially adapted for cooperation with a 'specialform of cargo carrier, disclosed in .our,.application-for ap- 'paratus for loading aircraft,- filed September 10, 1925, Ser. No. 55,504, of which this application is a division; but its general features may be useful in other relations.

The invention consists in the features hereinafter disclosed and claimed, and il lustrated in the annexed drawings in which: Fig; 1 is adiagrammatic side elevation of an airplane equippedwitlrthe loading device of our parent'application aboutytofen; gage a cargo carrier, resting uponthe, support forming the subject-matter ofsthis application.

Fig. 1a is a front elevation of the topof the support withthe cargo carrier resting thereon. a}; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the front portionof the, track of-the loading device shown in'F-ig. 1, abouttoengage a cargo carrier resting. on our support. 1 i 1 Fig. 3 is a detail view, partly in section, of one of the standardsqof'aour support, a portion of the standard beingbroken away. Fig. 4 is afragmentary view illustrating an appurtenance to behe'reinafter described. Referring to the drawings in detail, an airplane-1, having a landing gear 2, is provided with an opening et-the bottom of 50 the 'fuselagenear its rearend, closed by a formed into loop for ramshorn inside the seriaino. 416,631. V

trapdoor ei. z A xles 5 of the landing gear are Supported from the fuselageby suitable braces 6.v suitable conveyor-or track is: prov1ded,which may consist of two rails 7,

"secured to the lower part of the fuselage and extending from a pointslightly in front. of the axlesof the landing, gear, rearwardly and upwardly through the .opening3 in the fuselage. The rear ends of; the rails .are

fuselage, as shown at 8. The rails are suite ably braced by cross-members 9. .Thisloadmg .means is particularly adapted" to engage; a cargo carrier of special form, shown in Figs. 1, 1a, and2, consistingof a container 0f general egg-shape. This container has substantially diametrically opposed wing members 11, from eachof which project. arms 12, adapted'to fold within the wingsll, the container" or carrier having otherwise a substantially smooth exterior. The construction above described: forms no part of the present invention, and is here set outmerely toshow'the co'nstructionwith which the cargo-carrier support; forming the subject-matter of this application, is especially adapted tocooperate. The support will now be described; i t. u

Thesupport consists, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, of 1 four. similarly constructed standard pl3, and a saddleplate 14. Each standard? comprises an enlarged bottom-member or' foot 15, preferably. of metal, ha'vin'g its; lowersurface spherically curved, as indicated at l6,:.which rests in abase member comprising an openf topped container 17, enclosing a cup 18, having its upper surface sphericallyc'urved to; conform to the lower. face of-the foot ofthestanda-rd, as shown at 19.. The foot ordinary fishing pole except that that they .are engagedlrather loosely to'permitthe sections tobe very easily disengaged.v Any lam number of sections may be employed, or only one may be sufiicient, depending upon the desired height of the support. The upper section 22 is short, and is provided at its upper end'with a shallow notch 23.

Four'of' these standards are-employed to support a cargo carrier, each of them being of the same. construction except. as to height,

thedifi'erence in height being conveniently provided for by making two of the upper rod sections 22 shorter than the-other two upper sections. These four standards are arrangedat thecorners'of'a rectangle, as-

shown in Fig. 2, the shorterpair of'standards being placed in front, as shown in Fig. 1'. The cargo carrier is supported upon the upper ends of these standards by placing the outwardly'projecting arms 12 of the carrier in the notches23 of the rear or longer pair'of standards, and resting the forward portion of the carrier on the saddle-plate 14; above referred to", which is provided with ends adapted to rest in the notches 23 of the forward'pair of standards and is curved to conform to the configuration of the carrier. V v

i For proper engagement of the aircraft with the carrier it is-neoessarythat the carrier be so supported that its major'axis lies in a substantially horizontal plane. When "so placed the arms are in' aplane above the ends of the saddle-plate 14, which engages the lower'surface of "the carrier, for which reason the rear pair of standards ismade longer than the front" pair, as shown in Fig; 1. v

When thestandards arein supporting position they slightly converge upwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and the weight of thecarrierserves tohold them in this position.

Aset of standards includes a number of rod sections 22 suflicient to hold the carrier at'the desired maximum distance above the ground. In some situations it maybe desirable to support the carrier closer to the ground than this maximum distance, in which case a'less number of the sections would' be employed; This involves the omission of one or more of the sections 22, and the use of the remainder with the upper sections 22 which contain the notches 23. The tenons of the sections are of varying size due to their-tapered form, hence we provide one'or more short collars 24, as

shown in Fig. 4, adapted to fit into-a socket to reduce its size to that of the tenon to be fitted thereinto.

0pe'r'cvtz'0n.With the cargo carrier mounted on the support," as illustrated in Fig. 1, the pilot manoeuvres the aircraft toward the small end of the carrier with the-forward ends of the rails 7 as nearly in line with the longitudinal axis of the carrier as hiss'kill will permit. The rails come 7 lower .to: release; the: saddle-plate lit from the notches 23; The saddle-plate will fall by gravity action or will be pushed away by the aircraft. Should the described action not takeplace,.the.upper rod sections -22',iwill be disengaged from thelower rod sections onlaccount of the loose connections between these sections, as above; described. The forward motion given tothe tops of the standards by engagement of the-aircraft with the carrier forces the feet of the standards to turn in the cups 18, and the impetus given to the standards carries them to a position below the path of motion of any part of the aircraft;-but, even if this action should not occur, there would be no damage to the aircraft, on account of the light construction of the standards and the loosejoints between the sections. Byreason of the frictional connection between the feet 15 of the standardsand the cups 18,

'the standards will not rebound against the aircraft" but willremain. in the inclined position imposed upon them.

I While we have described and illustrated but one specific embodimentof our invention, theinvention may be embodied in various forms. It is therefore to be'under'stood that the invention is not confined to the specific structure described but includes all changes, modifications, substitutions, and rearrangements which may be made-withinthe principles above set forth.

" What we claim is:

' 1'. A support fora cargo carriercomprising a plurality of upright standards having rounded bases weighted at the bottoms'and with means at the tops whereon may rest a cargocarrier at a plurality of points."

2. A support for a cargo carrier comprising a plurality of uprightstandards made up of freely separable sectionseach having a rounded base weighted at the bottom, and means atthe tops of the standard's whereon may rest acargo carrier; I

3. A support for a cargocarr ier comprising a plurality of standards freely movable inany direction, 'the tops of said'standards being'provided-with means for supporting a 'cargo carrier which maybe detached therefrom by movement a of the. cargo carrier substantially in a horizontal plane.

4. Means for holding-a cargo carrier so as to be picked up by aircraft while in motion comprising an upstanding support, a base for said support having frictional engagement therewith and permitting the support to move in any direction, and means at the upper end of the upstanding support to engage and hold a cargo carrier. s

5. The combinat'on specified in claim 4 in which the lower end of the support consists of a weighted, spherically curved surface, and the base has a correspondingly curved surface.

6. In a support for a cargo carrier, a base, a standard on said base frictionally engaged therewith and having universal movement in relation thereto, and means at the top adapted for engagement with-a part of a cargo carrier.

7 The combination specified in claim 6 in which the standard is formed of freely de-V tachable parts.

8. In a support for a cargo carrier, a base C. HUNTINGTONJACOBS. ASA F. HARSHBARGER.

having a spherically curved recess therein, i

a standard having aweighted lower end curved to fit said recess, and means at the top adapted for engagement with a part of 1' a cargo carrier.

9. A portable support the upper end for supporting a cargo at a plurality of points, means for connecting said holder to a permanent support, such as the ground, and means forming a yielding connection between the portable and permanent supports.

10. A portable support for a cargo carr1er comprising an upstanding holder having provisions at the upper end for supporting a cargo at a plurality of points, means for connecting said holder toa permanent 7 for aecargo carrier comprlslng a holder having provisions at.

means for connecting said holder to a per- I manent support, such as the ground, and means forming a yielding connection between the portable and permanent supports.

12. Means for holding a cargo carrier to be picked up by aircraft while in motion comprising four standards, each having a shallow notch in its upper end, and means for yieldingly connecting thestandards to a permanent support.

13. The combination specified in claim 12 in which each standard is made of freely detachable parts.

14;. The combination specified in claim 12 with the addition of a supporting plate upon which the carrier is adapted to rest,

21st day of October, 7 

